Happy Monday! I hope all of you had a splendid weekend. These past few weeks have been pretty wonderful – I love being home, going to the farmers market and enjoying the city as it empties out for the summer. There is something so delightful about getting lost in your own city, discovering new things to do and doing the simplest things like taking walks around the neighborhood. I’m quite content with this non-traveling month. This weekend I was able to break open some magazines, which completely inspired me for a couple of projects I have in the works. I need to remember that taking time to get inspired for projects is essential. Cheers to the new week that lies ahead – whether you are at home or off on an incredible summer getaway! Photo by Caitlin Flemming #lifestyle

It has been quite a whirlwind around the office these days working on fun and exciting projects. I wanted to pop in to show you a little inspiration that I have going on for a recent project. As you all know, I love blues – these are some of the beautiful fabrics I acquired in Istanbul in February. I can’t wait to see how we end up using them in this project. More project updates will be coming to the blog. I thought I should start sharing inspiration and details here with all of you! Photo by Caitlin Flemming #interiors

This weekend I suddenly got the urge to make a massive to-do list of everything I wanted to accomplish in our apartment this summer. It’s lengthy – from organizing closets, our pantry, the office, the linen closet, to installing wallpaper in our bathroom, to painting the guest bedroom . . . the list goes on and on. Sometimes I get caught up in my client projects and getting them settled and organized that I forget about my own life. This summer that isn’t happening. I’m carving out weekends to get these things checked off my list. It’s always hard for me to begin these projects because first comes the mess but then in the end it’s so worthwhile. Do you ever find yourself having the urge to finally organize every nook in your home? Over the weekend, with the help of my mom, I was able to purge through my entire closet. It was quite a task! We took every single piece of clothing out and if I hadn’t worn it in the last year, it was going to Goodwill. Friends, Goodwill got a goldmine. Four trash bags later and two for my local consignment store and we were done. Can I just tell you that being back to actually seeing my clothes has already made my mornings that much sweeter. It was the perfect way to step into a new month. My goal for this summer – get organized! What are you goals for these summer months ahead? Photo by Caitlin Flemming #lifestyle

This past long weekend was blissful – I love that Memorial weekend feels like the official kick off to summer. Does it feel that way to you? My days were spent enjoying homemade breakfasts in bed, opening up books that have been waiting to be read, seeing friends I hadn’t seen in weeks and ended with my birthday celebration. It was the epitome of the perfect three day weekend. After a weekend like that I’m ready for the full week ahead. I hope all of you had an equally relaxing weekend wherever you were. I’d love to hear what all of you did? Photo by Caitlin Flemming | Flowers by Natalie Bowen Designs #lifestyle

Every single month when Natalie comes to me with an idea for her arrangement, I’m blown away by the flowers she wants to pair together. This month she mentioned berries and beautiful bright clematis, which blew my socks off when I saw them in person. I love the way Natalie is able to design such an organic bouquet that looks stunning and effortless at the same time. Read on to see her tips on using blueberries and strawberries in your own arrangements! Flowers used in this arrangement: viburnum berry chocolate cosmos icelandic poppies sonoma garden roses clematis blueberries woodland strawberries I’ve never seen blueberries in the Bay Area before. I know they are common in the North East, are they easy to grow in California, too? The blueberries in this arrangement are from the garden at my studio in San Francisco. It was a complete experiment to plant them. I had a bush left over from a project I was doing, and I just put it in the ground. I have learned that blueberries love acidic soil, which my studio garden is full of, so I think this helps them do OK. My husband grew up in New England and he has fond memories of going blueberry picking in Maine as a child. I don’t think we’ll ever achieve that blueberry abundance in California, but it was fun to try. I noticed that you used strawberries in the arrangement, too. How did you do that? We grow woodland strawberries in our garden and they have long stems. These stems allow us to put them in a vase. I love them when they are green, as they actually last in the arrangement for a few days. I love including unexpected The size of that clematis is amazing! Where did you find it? I was at dinner at a friends house in Berkeley and they had an amazing garden and this clematis was in it. They generously let me snip a few stems from their garden to bring home. Clematis is a very delicate vine, but it can grow very well with the right environment. Why are Chocolate Cosmo’s named that? Chocolate Cosmo’s actually smell like chocolate. It is so cool! They are actually a native of Mexico and once grew wild there. I love their deep dark color and delicate stems. But, I love their scent the most! Both Natalie and I hope this inspires you to create something beautiful this Memorial weekend! Flowers by Natalie Bowen Designs | Photos by Caitlin Flemming #lifestlye

Lately, I’ve been on the go. Running around town dropping off light fixtures, picking out fabrics for clients, jetting to meetings and so much more. Luckily I have staples in my wardrobe that help me every morning. This ensemble has been making a regular appearance every week. I love the relaxed look with a striped tee and boyfriend jeans. You really can’t go wrong with either of those. What is your go to look when you are on the go? The Basics: 1.) SkarGorn #44 Stripe Tee 2.) Point Sur Slim Stacker Selvedge Jean The Layers: 3.) Clare Vivier Duffle Petit 4.) Kate Space Leopard Ikat iPhone 5 Case 5.) Celine 807 Eyeglasses 6.) Steve Madden ‘Nonstp’ Bootie 7.) Madewell Holding Pattern Necklace 8.) Madewell Safety Chain ID Cuff 9.) Emi-Jay Hair Ties #style

Happy Monday from New York! Last week was quite a whirlwind week getting ready for this trip out east for my collaboration with CB2. I apologize for my absence. I hope you were able to follow along on APTCB2.com and on Instagram. It was an incredible experience, I can’t wait to share the final design with all of you! This week we have a handful of posts that will hopefully inspire you. I hope all of you have a fabulous week ahead! Photo by Caitlin Flemming of John Derian in New York #lifestyle

As a designer I dream of collaborations and projects that I want to do with my favorite companies. When I received a call from CB2 a few months ago with an opportunity to take part in a campaign called APT CB2, I was thrilled. It is a project where five designers come together to design an NYC apartment that is designed entirely on Pinterest. Amazing, right? Over five days you’ll get to see five rooms built in real time all based on what everyone “likes” most on Pinterest. I cannot wait to design the Office with all of you! We’ll be sharing our inspiration, products and more over twelve hours and in the end the result will be breathtaking. Find out more about this incredible campaign by watching this video. You can already join in on all of the inspiration I’ve been gathering and curating for the office space on my APT CB2 Pinterest board. You’ll find that my vision was to keep things clean, neutral, and minimalist. This Thursday (TOMORROW!!), I’ll be working alongside the CB2 team all day and night to design and decorate this office space. But wait, I’ll need your help choosing which items get to actually get placed inside the workspace – every desk, lamp, chair, bookcase and more. It won’t be the same without you! Now head on over to APT CB2 to find out more details about the entire collaboration – it’s pretty awesome. They’ve pulled together five great designers to complete the project. Lastly, you’ll have a chance to win a dream room from CB2 worth $5,000. Isn’t that unbelievable? Be sure to pop over to Pinterest to help me decorate this blank slate tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what we create together! And don’t worry, I’ll be sharing the end result right here next week. This post is brought to you by CB2. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting sponsored posts that keep Sacramento Street doors open. #WorksWithCB2 #interiors

This spring has been quite a whirlwind with travel. I’ve enjoyed every city and country I’ve visited – each have brought me so much inspiration for work and projects. Tomorrow I fly to NYC for an incredible collaboration with CB2. It’s been a dream project to work on. I’ll be posting more details tomorrow about how you can help me with the project. I hope all of you have a splendid week ahead! Photo of a Caitlin Flemming Design project in the works #lifestyle

It’s no secret that I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Serena & Lily. Their designs, quality and collections are constantly winning my heart over. When Serena & Lily dropped a little hint that they were planning on opening a West Coast brick & mortar store I was ecstatic. Not only because I was insanely jealous of the East Coaster that got to shop the Hampton’s store, but because I’m constantly getting asked by clients if they can see Serena & Lily items in person. Problem now solved! Serena & Lily is opening this Saturday, May 3rd on the ever so lovely Sacramento Street – just a couple blocks down from me. Sacramento Street is the perfect addition to an already budding interiors shopping district. It’s like icing on the cake for what I already think is a fabulous place to source for clients. The Design Shop will focus mostly on designers and clients that want to take a peek at the products – whether it be a bed, fabric, crib or chair in person before purchasing it online. As you walk into the Design Shop there is a plethora of beautiful items that give you sensory overload – in the best possible way. I left wanting to wallpaper every corner of my apartment, have a list a mile long of bedding, and don’t even get me started on the drop-dead gorgeous art installation that will be rotating different pieces each month. Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of sitting down with both founders Serena, Lily and Chief Brand & Innovation Officer Aaron Mutscheller to talk about the inspiration behind the new Design Shop, why they selected Sacramento Street as the home for the West Coast shop, which piece from their collections they love at the moment and much more. 1.) I’ve been a huge fan of Serena & Lily for years. Tell us how the company started? LILY: I was out having my second baby and Serena, who was an artist and textile designer, came by the store I owned at the time, Mill Valley Baby and Kids, and left her portfolio. I came in the next day to show off my new babe, and when I saw her work I was so impressed I called her immediately. She was a little surprised to hear from me so soon since I’d just had a baby, but we met shortly after and in just a few hours had partnered on about three different business ideas. 2.) How did you decide to branch out into home décor from the baby line? SERENA: We started with nursery, but never felt that it was strictly a baby line. We felt like it was home décor, and the products at the time were for the nursery. But it always felt like a design company, not a baby company. Scaling the business is definitely the hardest part, but we developed a pretty clear understanding of who our customer is and what they want for their homes, and we have a clear point of view about the rooms and aesthetic outside of the nursery. Our point of view has been consistent across the home, and I think that’s the reason it worked to expand beyond baby. 3.) As you know, I live on Sacramento Street. What made you decide this would be the perfect location for your Design Shop on the West Coast? LILY: To be honest, we didn’t look at a lot of spaces. We tend to go with our gut on these sorts of things and we just knew Sacramento Street was the perfect spot for our West Coast shop. It has a neighborhood feel and it’s very walkable, people can wander the street and discover some really amazing boutiques. We love that about this area and we knew it was the feel we wanted for our Design Shop. We also love that there’s a strong interior designer presence on Sacramento Street. Design Shop is great for that audience. 4.) How will this differ from the Hampton’s location you opened last Summer? SERENA: The Hamptons store is completely different – it’s the beach story of our brand and Design Shop is the city story. Beach Market is open, airy, breezy, even the smell of the store is different. You can meander through the space and have many different experiences. Design Shop is more concise and is all about the design experience. You come in and get inspired by our colors and patterns, and then you roll up your sleeves and immediately start working. 5.) Where do you draw inspiration from for overall concept of this Design Shop? SERENA: We started with the design concept. There’s so much joy in the experience of designing something new – finding pairs that look great or combinations of things that you love – and we wanted to give that to our customer. We want people to touch and feel and see the products, and you really can’t do that with technology or even through a catalog. Design Shop is about that experience, the creativity and the joy that it brings to design something you love. We also wanted to dispel the myth that design is only for those who are trained or professional. We have tried to make the design experience intuitive, foolproof and fun. You can never go wrong if you’re creating something that speaks to you. AARON: In terms of the feel, the shop was actually modeled after our design studio in Sausalito. People are always walking in the space and telling us how nice it is – the light, the smell, the feeling of openness. We wanted the shop to feel the same way. 6.) How will the Design Shop benefit both designers as well as retail customers? AARON: Design Shop is a workspace where both customers and interior designers can experience the Serena & Lily brand firsthand. All our signature bedding, wallpaper, rug and paint collections, as well as a curated collection of furniture, lighting and décor will be on display. Anyone working on a design project will benefit from free swatches and design advice on Serena & Lily’s product assortment. We have a hospitality area of the shop where designers can meet customers for appointments, or a family can lounge around while they plan the interiors for their new home. It’s very casual, and we want to encourage everyone to come and stay awhile. 7.) What kind of merchandise do you plan to have available or is this where customers can come to get samples and see furniture that they might be ordering? LILY: Design Shop is all about the design experience. When you come in, you will see our latest seasonal product assortment, our library of fabrics, upholstery and bedding, our most popular furniture silhouettes, and a rotating display of art from Art Collection. You can order in the shop and have a variety of shipping and delivery options. Everything that’s in-stock can be at your house in the Bay Area by the next business day, or picked up at our warehouse in the city of Richmond. We will also have flat-rate shipping options. This shop is all about service. We want to give you what you need, when you need it, but the approach is not traditional retail. 8.) Right now, if each of you had to choose from your collection, what would be your favorite item? LILY: I’m obsessed with our Riviera Collection. They’re French-inspired, but the new colors are also very Americana. I especially love the Riviera Bench in Poppy. SERENA: I love our new Heart PJs. I’m sleeping in them every night and they just get better with every wear. 9.) Lastly, if you could travel to anywhere in the world for inspiration, where would you go? LILY: Madagascar looks intriguing. SERENA: It changes monthly, but at the moment I’m pulled to West Africa. Mali in particular. And while I’m down there I’d like to go to Tunisia and back to Morocco. Such a rich experience down there, with an incredible textile heritage. AARON: Changes for me pretty frequently as well. I could go back to Copenhagen any day of the week, but really drawn to Chile and Uruguay lately. I mean who doesn’t want to travel to a destination where the flag is stripes and a sun!!! It was such a pleasure getting a sneak peek of the new Design Shop with Serena, Lily and Aaron – they created a stunning shop. I can’t wait til it’s officially open this coming Saturday. If you live in the Bay Area be sure to pop into Serena & Lily when you find yourself on Sacramento Street. Full disclosure, you’ll leave wanting to re-design your entire house! Photos by Claire Giffen for Sacramento Street #interiors #lifestyle